A Once Upon a Time Novella
by The Craver
Summary: Set in the chapters SEVENTY and SEVENTY-ONE of Once Upon a Time Lord: When World's Collide. My Once Upon a Time Lord stories are dedicated to my inspirations; VoiceOfTime and Anastacie Colbert.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**A few days earlier...**

After helping the gang in Storybrooke with the Black Diamond problem, the Doctor and the Professor took Clara back to London, so she can make a future for herself in Storybrooke. She enjoyed it there. The people were amazing, and she had a lovely boyfriend. When she got to the Maitland residence, she handed in her resignation and said she would only be there for another two more weeks. During these two weeks, both the Professor and Doctor hopped from day to day picking up Clara to take her on trips in space and time. Trips to places like Akhaten, Yorkshire and Hedgewick's Amusement Park.

While on Clara's last day at the Maitlands, she decided to make a very special soufflé for the occasion. She wasn't that good at making soufflés but she hoped that today it would be perfect.

Angie, who was sitting at the kitchen table with her brother, Archie, turned around. "Oh no. You're going to try and make a soufflé again, aren't you?" She complained.

"My mum's soufflé, yeah," Clara responded. "Although this time I will get it right. This time I will be Soufflé Girl."

"How can it be your mum's soufflé if you're making it?" Archie questioned.

"Because, Artie, its like my mum always said, "The soufflé isn't the soufflé. The soufflé is the recipe.""

"Was your mum deep on puddings?" Angie asked.

"She was a great woman," Clara said, as she noticed an old looking envelope on the counter. She picked it up, just as the Professor walked in to greet her.

He was gonna help Clara to pick up the rest of her items. "Hey," he said, kissing her cheek. "What do you have there?"

"Hey. And I don't know," she said.

"Oh, it arrived today," Angie said. "Its for Clara."

Clara nodded slowly, and went up to her room, as she opened the letter and began to read it, with the Professor following her and reading over her shoulder:

"_My dearest Clara. The Doctor entrusted me with your contact details in the event of an emergency, and I fear one has now arisen. Assuming this letter will have reached you as planned, on April the tenth, 2013, please find and light the enclosed candle. It will release a soporific which will induce a trance state, enabling direct communication across the years."_

The Professor looked at the candle and decided to go get a lighter from another room, with Clara still reading.

"_However, as I realise you have no reason to trust this letter, I have taken the liberty of embedding the same soporific into the fabric of the paper you are now holding. Speak soon."_

The Professor heard a soft thump, and came back to the room, seeing Clara on the floor, unconscious. Knowing what it meant, he sat beside her, and put her head in his lap.


	2. What is his Name?

**Chapter ONE: What is his Name?**

As soon as Clara passed out, she found herself in a strange room with Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax. "So glad you could make it," Madame Vastra said, handing Clara some tea, which she took.

"Where am I?" Clara asked.

"Exactly where you were, but sleeping," Jenny said.

"Time travel has always been possible in dreams," explained Madame Vastra. "We are awaiting only one more participant..."

"Oh, no," Strax said. "Not the one with the gigantic head."

"It's hair, Strax," Jenny corrected.

"Ugh! _Hair_..." Strax said, when River Song poofed in in a cloud of smoke.

"Madame Vastra," River said.

"Professor," Madame Vastra said. "Help yourself to some tea."

"Why thank you," River said, poofing wine up for her self.

"How did you do that?" Jenny asked.

"Disgracefully," River said, then her gaze turned to Clara. "Clara..."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" She asked.

"No. But you will..." Clara stared back. "Professor River Song. The Doctor might have mentioned me?"

"Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Of cause he had. Professor Song," Clara said. "Sorry. It's just that I never realised you were a woman."

"Well, neither did I," Strax said.

"Perhaps we should get down to the business at hand," Madame Vastra said, breaking the awkward silence.

"That might be good, dear, yes," Jenny agreed.

Madame Vastra nodded, and through some particles into the air, which formed themselves into a picture. "Clarence DeMarco, murderer. Under sentence of death, he offered us this in exchange for his life." Madame Vastra waved her hand and the picture turned into Gallifreyan.

"Space-time coordinates," observed River.

"This, Mr DeMarco claims, is the location of the Doctor's greatest secret."

"Which is?" Clara asked.

"We don't know," Jenny said. "It's a secret."

"The Doctor does not discuss his secrets with anyone, my dear," Madame Vastra said. "If you're still entertaining the idea that you're an exception to this rule, ask yourself one question: What is his name?"

Clara stared at her. "Well, I know it," River said.

"What? Clara asked. "You know his name? He told you?"

"I made him."

"How?"

"It took a while..."

"So … So you were a friend of his, then?"

"A little more than a friend. A long time ago."

"He's still never contacted you?" Madame Vastra asked.

"He doesn't like endings," River said, while Jenny gasped. "So what else did this DeMarco tell you? He didn't just buy his life with some coordinates. "How did he prove his value?"

"One word only."

"What word?"

"A word I've heard in connection with the Doctor before. Trenzalore."

"How exactly did he describe what he was giving you?"

Madame Vastra waved her hand and transformed the pictures into the face of DeMarco, which said, "The Doctor has a secret, you know. He has one he will take to the grave. And it is discovered."

"You misunderstood," River said.

"Ma'am," Jenny started to say. "Sorry, I … I just realised I forgot to lock the door."

"It doesn't matter, Jenny," Madame Vastra said. "What misunderstanding? Tell me."

"No, ma'am, please...I should have locked up before we went into the trance."

"Jenny. It doesn't matter."

"Someone's broken in. Someone's with us. I can hear them."

"Jenny. Are you alright?"

"Sorry, ma'am. So sorry. So sorry, so sorry. Think I've been murdered," Jenny said, as she faded out.

"Jenny?" Madame Vastra asked.

"What's happened to her?" Clara asked.

"Jenny, can you hear me?"

"Speak to us, boy," Strax said.

"Jenny!" Cried Madame Vastra.

"You're under attack," River said, slowly getting up. "You must wake up now. Just wake up! Do it!" And with that, River slapped Madame Vastra's cheek, prompting her to wake up. "You too Strax. Wake up now," River said, throwing her wine in his face, which caused him to wake up too.

Both Clara and River then went to each other, as Whispermen came into the dream conference, surrounding them. "Tell the Doctor. Tell the Doctor," the whispered endlessly.

"Tell him what?" Clara asked, as the Great Intelligence appeared in the form of the dream particles.

"His friends are lost forever more," the Great Intelligence said. "Unless he goes to Trenzalore."

"No, you can't say that," River said. "He can't go there. You know he can't."

But, for Clara, her dream state was weakening. She could slowly her the Doctor calling out. When she did, she found herself staring up at the Professor. "Hey..." she said, smiling.

"You alright?" He asked.

Clara nodded, sitting up slowly, with her head in her hand. "Think so..."

"Good," the Professor said, as he helped her up, and went with her to the Doctor, who was in the hall, blindfolded.

"Artie?" The Doctor called out. "Am I getting warm? Am I getting warm? Look, I'm pretty sure you have to tell me if I'm getting warm. I'm-m-m-m pretty sure that's in the rules."

"Doctor?" Clara asked.

"Ha, Clara!" The Doctor said. "How are you. Don't worry. Everything is under control."

"What are you doing, Dad?" The Professor asked.

"Oh, um … Mr Maitland went next door, so I said I'd look after the kids. They wanted to go to the cinema but I said, "No." I said, "No. Not until you two finished … canoodling." I was very firm."

"Doctor … We were not canoodling," Clara said firmly.

"Did you actually say canoodling?" The Professor asked.

"Well, no," the Doctor said. "They came up with that by themselves. And the, they suggested that we play Blind Man's Bluff...So … Where are they?"

The Professor waved his hand, which made the blindfold on the Doctor dissipate. "My guess is they tricked you so they can go to the cinema."

"The little … Daleks," the Doctor said, then noticed a serious look on Clara's face. "Whats wrong?"


	3. Trenzalore

**Chapter TWO: Trenzalore**

Soon the three went down to the living room. The Doctor went over to sit on the sofa; the Professor went over to the mantle piece to look at some pictures and Clara decided to make them some tea.

"So, who was she?" Clara asked. "The lady with the funny name and the space hair..."

"An old friend of mine..." the Doctor said.

"What, like an ex?" Clara asked.

"Now, that is complicated," the Professor said.

"What do you mean?"

"We first met her when she died. Then we kept on meeting her anywhere..."

Clara nodded, slowly. The Doctor spoke up again. "River asked Vastra for the exact words. What were they?"

"'The Doctor has a secret he will take to the grave.'," Clara said, bringing the cups over to them. "It is discovered.'"

The Doctor looked down. "Dad?" The Professor asked, going over.

"Sorry," the Doctor said, softly. Tears began to form in his eyes. "And it was Trenzalore? It was definitely Trenzalore?"

"Yeah," Clara said.

"Oh, dear," the Doctor whispered, then spoke normally, "Sorry." He got up in a rush and exited the house.

"Well, that was weird," Clara said.

"Must have brought back his past..." the Professor said, holding Clara's hand and started to walk with her to follow his father.

They walked into the TARDIS and down the stairs below the console room, where the Doctor was sitting on the cupboards.

"Well?" Clara asked.

"Trenzalore. I've heard the name, of course," the Doctor began. "Dorian mentioned it, a few others … We all suspected what it was, never wanted to find out myself." The Doctor stood up, and sonicked the cables above. "River would know, though. River always knew." He picked a wire and held it in his hand. "Right. Come here, Clara. Give me your hand." The Professor and Clara both went up to him, and the Professor wrapped his arms around her waist, while she outstretched her hand. "Now, the coordinates you saw will still be in your memory," the Doctor continued. I'm linking you into the TARDIS telepathic circuit. Won't hurt a bit."

The Professor, knowing of what was going to happen, began to kiss Clara's neck, in hopes of distracting her long enough. The Doctor pricked Clara's hand with a wire from the TARDIS but it broke Clara's concentration from the neck kisses. "Ow..." she said.

"I lied," the Doctor said, as the circuit made a whining tone.

"So, what is Trenzalore?" Clara asked. "Is that your big secret?"

"No."

"Okay. What, then?"

"When you are a time traveller, there is one place you must never go. One place in all time and space you must never, ever find yourself."

"Where?"

"Your grave," the Professor said. "The Great Intelligence was talking about Dad's Grave. Not his secret."

The Doctor nodded. "Its my grave that's been discovered. Trenzalore is where I'm buried," he said, then walked up the stairs.

Clara and the Professor turned around, following. "How can you have a grave?" Clara asked.

"Because we all do somewhere out in the future, waiting for us. The trouble with time travel is you can actually end up visiting."

"But you're not going to. You just said it's one place you must never go."

"I have to save Vastra and Strax. Jenny, too, if it's still possible. They cared for me in the dark times. Never questioned me, never judged me, they were just … kind. I owe them. I have a duty. No point in telling you this is too dangerous?"

Both the Professor and Clara looked at each other and smiled. "None at al," Clara said. "How can we save them?"

"Apparently, by breaking into my own tomb," the Doctor said, flipping a lever and starting the engines. The control room filled the air with the ancient wheezing and groaning. Both the Professor and the Doctor tried to fly the TARDIS but the ship was too strong-willed. It had figured out where they were planning on heading and tried to stop it from happening.

"What's that?" Clara asked.

"Well, the TARDIS has figured out what we're planning on doing," the Professor said. "And she's against it."

The Doctor grabbed two switches and tried to pull them down. "I'm about to cross my own timeline in the biggest way possible. And the TARDIS doesn't like it. She's fighting it."

"Hang on, Clara..." the Professor said, as Clara held on to the console as tight as she could.

As the two Time Lords forced the ship to Trenzalore sparks flew out of the console, before shutting down and stopping suddenly. It stopped so suddenly that it created enough force to push the three away from the console.

"Now what?" Clara asked.

"She's shut down everything because she doesn't want to land," the Professor said.

"So, we're not there?"

The Doctor had gone over to the console, trying to flick some controls. "We must be close," he said, going over to the doors, opening them. Once opened, he saw the planet below. A ravaged planet with rivers of lava. "Okay. So that's where I end up." The Professor and Clara went over. "I always thought maybe I'd retire, take up watercolours or bee-keeping or something. Apparently not."

"So, how do we get down there?" Clara asked. "Jump?"

"Don't be silly. We fall," the Doctor said, shutting the doors and headed for the console. "She's turned off practically everything except the anti-gravs. Guess what I'm turning off?" He took out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the console. Giving it a quick whir, he turned off the anti-gravs . As soon as he did, the TARDIS lost orbit and fell towards the planet. As they did, the Professor held on tightly to the TARDIS railing, with Clara holding on to him.

Once the TARDIS landed on the planet, the Doctor walked out first, and noticed a crack in the windows. He rubbed it, and said, "Oops."

The Professor and Clara followed him out on the stormy planet. There were gravestones strewn everywhere, and ivy had started to grow on some.

"You okay?" Clara asked. "Visiting your own grave, anyone would be scared."

"It's more than that," the Doctor said. "I'm a time traveller. I've probably time-travelled more than anyone else."

"Meaning?"

"His grave is one of the dangerous places in the universe," the Professor said.

"Shall we?" The Doctor asked.

The Professor and Clara nodded as they began to walk with the Doctor. "The gravestones are a bit basic," Clara said.

"It's a battlefield graveyard. My final battle," the Doctor explained.

"Why are some of them bigger?"

"They're soldiers. Bigger the gravestone, higher the rank."

They climbed over a small hill, and saw a decaying TARDIS. It was larger than the one that they had came from.

"It's a Hell of a monument," Clara said.

"It's the TARDIS," the Professor said.

"I can see that."

"When a TARDIS is dying, sometimes the dimension dams start breaking down. They used to call it a size leak," the Doctor said. "All the bigger on the inside starts leaking to the outside and it grows. So it is actually the TARDIS. My TARDIS from the future." The Doctor started to walk forward. "What else would the bury me in?"

The Professor put an arm around Clara, when she heard a voice. "Clara!" River said. "Don't speak. Don't say my name. They can't see or hear me. Only you can."

"Well, come on then!" The Doctor called back to them.

"We're mentally linked. It's the conference call. I kept the line open."

The Professor turned around to see what Clara was looking at when he saw a small gravestone. "Dad...You may want to see this..." he called back.

The Doctor went over to them. "What are you looking at? We need to get..." But he couldn't finish his sentence when he saw the gravestone too. "River?" He asked softly, staring at her tombstone. He went over to it and fingered over the engraved V.

"That can't be right," Clara said, looking at it too.

"Of course not," the Professor said. "How could she die here when she died on another planet a long time ago?"

"Dead?"

"Yeah," River said to Clara. "I probably should have mentioned that. Never the right time."

"But I met her."

"Long story," the Doctor said. "But her grave can't be here."

While they were musing River's tomb, Clara could hear some whispering. She turned around. "Doctor! Professor!" She said, and they turned around, seeing the Whispermen approaching.

"This man must fall, as all men must," they uttered. "The fate of all is always dust."

The Doctor was trying to work his sonic screwdriver at them, while the Professor conjured up a fireball and aimed it at them. But the fireball just passed through the Whispermen.

"If it isn't my gravestone, then what it is?" River asked.

"What do you think that gravestone really is?" Clara repeated to the two Time Lords.

"The gravestone?" The Doctor asked back.

"Maybe it's a false grave," River said.

"Maybe it's a false grave," Clara repeated.

"Maybe," the Professor said.

"Maybe it's a secret entrance to the tomb," River said.

"Maybe it's a secret entrance to the tomb!" Clara repeated.

The Doctor spun around. "Yes. Of course. Makes sense," he said, whirring his sonic screwdriver at the tomb. "They'd never bury my wife out here."

Clara spun around, as the Professor put his arms around her. "Your what?" She asked.

As the three fell, the Whispermen crouched down over the grave. "The man who lies will lie no more. Where this man lies it's Trenzalore."


	4. The Catacombs

**Chapter THREE: The Catacombs**

Once the three fell through the trap door, the began to walk through a series of tunnels. The Doctor found a lit torch made from a Dalek eyestalk and used it to light their way.

"Where are we?" Clara asked, as the Professor helped her down from a flight of stairs.

"Catacombs," the Doctor stated.

"I hate catacombs."

"I'm here for you," the Professor said, wrapping an arm around Clara.

Clara smiled up at him, then asked the Doctor, "So how come I met your dead wife?"

"Oh, well. You know how it is when you lose someone close to you," the Doctor said. "I sort of made a backup."

River appeared behand Clara. "I died saving him. In return, he saved me to a database in the biggest library in the universe. Left me like a book on a shelf. Didn't even say goodbye. He doesn't like endings."

But the Whispermen had found themselves into the catacombs too. One emerged through the spirit of River, to which the Professor pulled Clara out of the way.

"Dad! We have company," he said.

The Doctor turned around. "Run!" He said, and led the two through the rest of the catacombs.

* * *

The Doctor led the Professor and Clara into one of the TARDIS hallways, that connected to the catacombs. "Okay. Come on. Quickly," he said.

"Ah!" Clara said, as a Whisperman got her hand.

The Professor tried to pull her free from the snarling Whispermen. "Clara. Focus on our love," he said.

Clara did and managed to escape the clutches of the Whispermen. The Doctor shut the metal door behind them. But a hand of a Whisperman still stayed on their side, til it too slid through the door, making it shut properly. "Yowzah," he said, dropping the torch onto the floor.

The three made their way again, and began to climb up some metal staircases. "There's still a bit of a climb," the Doctor said. "I think I remember the way."

Clara had stopped suddenly and leaned against the Professor for support. "What's wrong?" The Professor asked.

"I just … feel lightheaded. And dizzy," Clara said.

The Doctor turned around. "The dimensioning forces this deep in the TARDIS can make one feel giddy.

"I know, I know," Clara said, then stopped herself and pulled away. "How do I know? How do I know that?"

"Clara. I'll explain everything to you once this is over," the Professor said, reaching for her hand.

"Have we … Have we done this before?" Clara asked, taking the Professor's hand. But also, she started to remember what she had done earlier. When a trio of money hungry brothers had wrecked the TARDIS. "We have. We have done this before. Climbing though a wrecked TARDIS. Doctor, you said things. Things I'm not supposed to remember."

"We can't do this now," the Doctor said. "The TARDIS is a ruin. The telepathic circuits are awakening memories you shouldn't even have."

But Clara wasn't listening. She had remembered a conversation with the Doctor. She curled into the Professor. "You scared me," she said to the Doctor. "You said I died. I could I die?"

"That is not a conversation you should even remember..." the Doctor said.

"What do you mean I died?" Clara asked back, but the Whispermen interrupted their train of thoughts.

"The girl who died he tries to save," they said. "She'll die again inside the grave."

"Run," the Doctor told the Professor and Clara, which they did.


	5. The Name of the Doctor

**Chapter FOUR: The Name of the Doctor**

As the Doctor, the Professor and Clara were running through the future TARDIS corridors, the Great Intelligence - who was in the form of Doctor Simeon - stood at the entrance to the tomb. He had with him some of the Whispermen and Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax. The Great Intelligence faced the door's to the tomb, thinking aloud to himself. "The Door's require a key. The key is a word. The Word is the Doctor's."

"Here I am," the Doctor said, when he, the Professor and Clara arrived. "Late for my own funeral. Glad you could make it." The Doctor turned around and saw Jenny, which he acknowledged.

"Open the door, Doctor," the Great Intelligence said. "Speak and open your tomb."

"No."

"Because you know what's in there?"

"I will not open those doors."

"The key is a wordlost to time. A secret hidden in the deepest shadow and known to you alone," the Great Intelligence mused at loud to the Doctor. The Doctor walked up to the figure. "The answer to a question," the Great Intelligence continued.

"I will not open my tomb," the Doctor said is a serious tone, standing face to facewith the Great Intelligence.

"Doctor … What is your name?" The Great Intelligence asked. The Doctor just stared at his foe – standing his ground – when the Great Intelligence moved his hand to the Doctor's face and squeezed it. The Doctor took his hand and placed it around the waist of his hand and slowly pulled it away. The Great Intelligence walked around the Doctor, facing the others. "The Doctor's friends ..." he continued, "...Stop their hearts."

The Professor looked horrified at the sound of the threat and turned to Clara. "I will not lose you ..." he began and rose his right hand to her chest.

Clara looked at him, a bit frightened at what was happening. "What are you doing?" She asked.

The Professor didn't answer her. Instead he waved his hand over her chest, leaving a shield of gold over it – which dessipated after a few seconds. "A protection spell … So no one can reach into your chest to get at your heart."

Clara faintly smiled at the idea. She was happy that she would be safe, but her mind then raced to the Professor. "What about you?" She asked. "I mean, I want you safe too..."

The Professor nodded and placed his right hand to his chest. He reached inside, letting out a gasp. He then pulled out a heart surrounded by golden regeneration energy. He put the heart in his left hand and did the same again,pulling out another heart. He handed Clara the two. "I want you to have them. For the mean time anyway. My hearts will be safe from the Whispermen."

Clara took them slowly and carefully. "I thought that someone couldn't take the hearts of a Time Lord...?..."

"Well, there's never been a Time Lord with magic before. Only a Time Lord with magic can take the hearts of other Time Lords. I'm the only one."

Clara nodded slowly and pocketed the two hearts safely. She then looked around at the surrounding area where the Whispermen were attacking the Paternoster Gang. "Prof … What are we going to do?" She asked frantically.

"I don't know … Just stay behind me..." the Professor said,grabbing her hand. He raised his left hand in front of them,feeling magic start to build up in his palm. He was going to throw the magic at the Whispermen when they stopped attacking and the doors to the tomb opened. The Professor looked around. "Dad ...Did you say your name?" He asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "I didn't do it," he said, going over to his friends making sure they were okay. "I didn't say my name."

The Professor turned to to Clara,who gave him his hearts back. He smiled his thanks and one by one, he put them back into his chest.

They all regrouped and faced the doors to the tomb. "Now then, Doctor Simeon..." the Doctor began, " … or Mr G. Intelligence, whatever I call you. Do you know what's in there?"

"For me, peace at last," the Great Intelligence said. "For you, pain everlasting. Won't you invite us in?"

The Doctor took a deep breath and went up to the doors, pushing them open with a grunt, before entering his tomb.


	6. Remember Me

**Chapter FIVE: Remember Me**

The Doctor lead everyone into the tomb, which was a future version of the TARDIS console. They climbed up the stairs and tried not to trip over the Ivy that was growing all around the place. Hearing the faint ominous tolling of the Cloister Bell, the Professor reached out and grabbed Clara's hand. When they came to the main platform of the room, they all stared at the bright, white light of energy in the centre where the centre consule would have been.

"What's that?" Clara asked.

"What were you expecting? A body?" The Doctor asked back. "Bodies are boring. Time Lords have many of them. That's not what my tomb is for."

"But what is the light?" Madame Vastra asked.

"It's beautiful," Jenny commented.

"Can I destroy it?" Strax asked.

"Shut up Strax," Vastra said.

"Doctor, explain," Clara began. "What is that?"

"The tracks of my tears," the Doctor started to explain, but the Great Intelligence cut the Doctor off.

"Less poetry, Doctor. Just tell them," he said.

"Time travel is damage. It's like a tear in the fabric of reality. That is the scar tissue of my journey through the universe. My path through time and space. From Gallifrey to Trenzalore..." The Doctor took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and aimed it at the white light of energy. He gave it a whir and the Doctor's previous voices began to speak and overlap each other.

_"Have you ever thought what it's like to be wanderers in the fourth dimension?" The First Doctor said.  
__"Do I have the right?" The Fourth Doctor asked.  
__"Daleks, Cybermen, they're still in the nursery compared to us," the Sixth Doctor said.  
__"There are corners of the universe that have bred the most dangerous things," the Second Doctor said.  
__"You were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic," the Ninth Doctor said.  
__"I'm the Doctor. I'm from Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous," the Tenth Doctor said.  
__"Hello, Stonehenge!," The Eleventh Doctor yelled out.  
__"It was the daisiest daisy I'd ever seen," the Third Doctor commented._

"My own personal time tunnel," the Doctor went on to explain. "All the days...Even the ones that I, uh … Even the ones that I haven't lived yet." The Doctor began to feel lightheaded and collapsed onto the ground, grunting. Both the Professor and Clara ran over to him. "Which is why I shouldn't be here. The paradoxes, they're bad."

The Great Intelligence took this opportunity and walked over to the Doctor's time stream. The Doctor groaned and watched him. "No … No. What are you doing? Somebody stop him!"

The Professor raised his arms up and aimed them at the Great Intelligence. He could feel magic building up in his palms. The Great Intelligence looked down at it. "You should know by now that magic won't work on me," he sneered. "If it didn't work on the Whispermen, it won't work on me..."

The Professor stared up at him and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

"You see," the Great Intelligence started to explain, "the Doctor's life is an open wound. And an open wound can be entered."

"No. It will destroy you," the Doctor said.

"Not at all," the Great Intelligence said. "It will kill me. It would destroy you. I can rewrite your every living moment. I can turn every one of your victories into defeats. Poison every friendship. Deliver pain to your every breath."

"It will burn you up. Once you go through,you can't come back. You will be scattered along my timeline like confetti."

"It matters not, Doctor. You thwarted me at every turn. Now you will give me peace as I take my revenge on every second of your life. Goodbye. Goodbye, Doctor." The Great Intelligence stepped back into the time stream. He screamed as the time winds ripped him apart into tiny fragments of him. As soon as he was in tiny fragments, the Whispermen around the group started to dissipate into the air around them.

Each fragment of the Great Intelligence weaved their way through the time stream. And each fragment found a point in the Doctor's life in which to attack. They attacked all at once. Which made the Doctor scream in agony. Both the Professor and Clara tried to calm him and see if there was anything they could do.

"What's wrong with him?" Clara asked frantically. "What's happening?"

"Clara ..." the Professor began. "His whole life is being rewritten all at once." The Professor put his hands over his head. "I don't know what to do. Magic … It has limits when it comes to Time Lords..."

Vastra nodded. "Simeon is attacking his entire timeline. He's dying all at once. The Dalek Asylum. Androzani."

Clara looked up. "What did you say?" She asked. "The Dalek Asylum? Did you say the Dalek Asylum?"

"Now he's dying in London. With us."

The Professor looked up at the time stream, which was now a shade of red. He then looked down at his father, helping Clara to control him.

"It is done..." the Great Intelligence echoed.

"Oh,dear Goddess," Vastra said.

"What's wrong?" Jenny asked.

"The universe without the Doctor. There will be consequences." Vastra then turned to leave the future console room. "Jenny. With me."

The Professor put his arm around Clara, who was musing over possible lives."The Dalek Asylum. You said it was me that saved you guys. How? Victorian London. How? How could I have been in Victorian London?"

"This maybe how..." The Professor said.

"So I have to go in there?" Clara asked aloud.

The Professor looked down sadly. He knew what needed to be done. To save the past, present and future. He didn't want to lose Clara again, but there was no other way. Besides, he had seen Clara previous other he wasn't around. As much as it pained him to think about it, he knew what had to be done.

"Please …. Don't..." the Doctor whispered.

"But this is what I've already done, You've already seen me do it," Clara said. "I'm the impossible girl. And this is why." She slowly stood up and faced the time stream.

"Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't," River said to Clara.

"If I step in there, the same happens to me what happened to the Great Intelligence?"

River nodded. "The time winds will tear you into a million pieces. A million versions of you – living and dying all over time and space. Like echoes."

"But the echoes would save everyone, right?" Clara asked. "The Doctor and the Professor?"

"But they won't be you. The real you would die. They'll just be copies."

"But they'll be real enough to save him."

The Professor stood up and went over to her. "Clara..." he said, his fingers brushing over her cheek softly. "This doesn't have to be the end. Maybe one of these echoes will find me. And we'll do what we always wanted."

Clara smiled at the idea. She leaned in to kiss him deeply. The Professor placed his hands on her back, not wanting to let go. But he knew he must. Clara pulled away softly, tugging on his bottom lip lightly. Tears in her eyes, she shook them away. "You know what my mum said? The Souffle isn't the souffle. The souffle is the recipe. This is the only way to save everyone, isn't it?"

The Professor nodded solemnly as Vastra came back inside. "The stars are going out. And Jenny and Strax are dead. There must be something we can do."

Clara walked from the Professor to the time stream. "Well, how about that?" She asked. "I'm Souffle Girl after all. If this works, get out of here as fast as you can. And spare me a though now and then." She approached the time stream slowly, feeling her heart race slowly under the addrelinine she was getting. "In fact, you now what? Run … Run you clever boys … And remember me." And with that, she jumped into the time stream, counter acting all of the Great Intelligence's actions.

* * *

_"I don't know where I am. I just know I'm running. Sometimes it's like I've lived a thousand lives in a thousand places. I'm born, I live, I die. And always, there's the Doctor. Always I'm running to save the Doctor again and again and again. Oi! And he hardly ever hears me. But I've always been there. Right from the very from the day he started running."_


	7. The Power of True Love

**Chapter SIX: The Power of True Love**

_"I don't know where I am. I don't know where I'm going or where I've been. I was born to save the Doctor and my true love, but they're safe now. I'm the Impossible Girl, and my story is done."_

* * *

Clara had done it. Her interference in the Great Intelligence's actions had saved not only the Doctor's life, but also the whole universe. But it was at the cost of her own. Everyone's lives had been restored and were chatting about it with each other. Except for the Professor. Clara jumping into the time stream had depressed him. More than ever. He had just said goodbye to his true love – for what he thought was the final time in his life. He rested his arms on a railing bar and sighed softly. He had seen what broken hearts did to people and he was worried that the same was going to happen to him.

He went over to his father and the two hugged when they overheard Madame Vastra. "We are all restored now. That's all that matters now."

The Doctor looked up. "We are not all restored," he said.

"No. We need Clara..." the Professor said. "I … Need Clara..."

The Doctor was looking up at the time stream, and was thoughtful. He was thinking that he go in there himself, save Clara and bring her back to his son. That would be one Hell of a wedding present for when the two got married.

"You can't go in there," River Song said, reappearing again. "It's your own time stream, for God's sake."

"I have to get her back..." the Doctor said thoughtfully.

"Of course, but not like this," River said.

The Professor looked at his father. "No. I have to..." he began.

"But how?" Jenny asked, accidentally interrupting the moment.

"Is she still alive?" Vastra asked. "It killed Dr Simeon..."

"Clara has one advantage over the Great Intelligence," the Doctor said. "She has true love with my son."

"Which is why I should be the one to go after her..." the Professor said.

The Doctor shook his head. "No. What if you don't make it?" He asked.

"Doctor. Please listen to me. At least hear me," River begged.

"If I don't make it but save Clara, least you two will be happy together. Start a new race of Time Lords," the Doctor said. "Now, if I don't come back, the Professor will take you home."

"There has to be another way," River said, approaching the Doctor. "Use the TARDIS, use something! Save her, yes! But for God's sake, be sensible..." She raised her hand and was about to smack his cheek when the Doctor turned and caught her arm. River was in shock. "How are you even doing that? I'm not really here..."

"You're always here to me," the Doctor said in a sotto voice. "And I always listen. And I can always see you..."

"Then why didn't you speak to me?"

"Because I thought it would hurt to much."

"I believed I could have coped."

"No. I thought it would hurt me. And I was right." The Doctor leaned in and cupped her cheeks in his hands. He placed his lips onto hers and kissed her deeply before pulling apart. "Since nobody else in this room can see you, God knows how that looked. There is a time to live and a time to sleep. You are an echo, River. Like Clara, like all the rest of the end, my fault, I know. But you should have faded away by now..."

"It's hard to leave when you haven't said goodbye," River said.

"Then tell me, because I don't know. How do I say it?"

"There's only one way I'd accept. If you've ever love me, say it like you're going to come back."

The Doctor took a deep breath. "Well then. See you around, Professor River Song."

"Til the next time, Doctor," River said with a smile. "You will see me around soon. A storm is approaching. It will touch every land and you will need me. More than ever." The Doctor nodded, although he was confused. "Oh, there's one more thing. I was mentally linked with Clara. If she's really dead, then how can I still be here?"

"Okay. How?"

"Spoilers. Goodbye … Sweetie," River said with a playful smile, before fading away.

The Doctor turned to the Professor. "You have to be the one to save Clara," he said. "I understand perfectly."

"That was River, wasn't it?" The Professor asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Oh, yeah. She was mentally linked to Clara. Which means she's still alive. If there's one thing that Storybrooke has taught me, it's the power of True Love. If it can break curses, it can make someone live."

The Professor nodded, as he got ready to run into the time stream. "Reminds me of what Charming always says," he said. "True Love isn't easy, but it must be fought for. Because once you find it, it can never be replaced." He gave a soft smile before running into the time stream.

* * *

After floating through the brown time vortex of the Doctor's life, Clara landed at the end with a soft thump. Smoke clearing around her, she looked around when she heard a loud thud. Wind howled around her and she looked around again, searching for something she recognized.

"Prof?" She asked. "Doctor?" She began to breath heavily when she heard another loud thud. She crawled up, tears in her eyes. "Please, please. I don't know where I am! I don't know where I am!"

"Clara..." the Professor said through the time stream. Clara looked up with a gasp. "I know you can hear me..."

"I can't see you..." she said. "I can't see anyone..."

"Look around," the Professor said. "This is my father's time stream. Everything around here is him..."

Clara looked around and saw figures of the Doctor. She stood up and saw the First Doctor walking past. "I can see him," she said, as the Sixth Doctor ran past.

"Those are my father's ghosts," the Professor explained as the Forth, Fifth and Ninth Doctors ran past Clara. "Every life of his is here..."

Suddenly, there was a crash of thunder above Clara and she looked up. "What's happening?"

"The time stream … It's a bit unstable at the moment," the Professor explained. "Too many people have wandered in..."

"Then ge..." Clara started to say, but was interrupted by the Professor.

"No. Not until you are safely in my arms. You are the moon of my life; my little souffle. I never want to be apart from you again," the Professor said.

Clara began to feel tears well in her eyes. That was the most sweetest thing she had ever heard. "I don't even know who I am..."

"I'm sending you something. Something from your past. The first thing you ever told me," the Professor said. "Look up."

Clara did what she was told and saw a brown leaf flattering down to her. She stood up and reached for it.

"I enchanted it," the Professor began. "With it, you will remember who you are. Who you have been and who you will be. You blew into this world on that leaf."

Clara began to limp away when there was another thud. "Clara," the Professor said, his voice louder this time. And somewhat closer. She turned around and saw the Professor coming closer to Clara.

"Clara, come on," he said, urging her to join him. "Believe in us. Believe in our true love."

"How?" She asked.

"Because it is impossible. But that's alright. Impossible things is how miracles happen."

Clara egan to walk over to him before she was in his arms. "I love you," she said softly. "I really, truly love you."

The Professor leaned in to kiss her deeply, placing a hand on her cheek and the other on the back of her head before puling away softly. When he did however, purple light was emitted from his eyes and went to hers.

Once it was over,Clara blinked. "What was that?" She asked.

"That was me … Letting you into my life. To share life with you. To keep you safe."

Clara was conflicted. She did wish that the Professor had consulted her first. But then, she did understand where he was coming from. But most of all, she wanted out of the time stream. She leaned into him and burrowed herself into his chest. "Please … Just get me out of here..."

The Professor nodded. "I will," he said, before looking up past her at an unknown figure.

Clara turned around and saw the figure too. "Who's that?" She asked.

"No idea. But it has to be my father."

"How so?"

"It is his time stream. It just … It just has to be."

"But I've seen all eleven faces of the Doctor. If it was him, I'd know..."

He nodded. "I know. But even my father must have secrets he keeps from me. As I was telling Rumple and Belle months ago, I don't know what happened in the time war. He never talks about it. I've seen all his changes except for one. One he just subtly implies that happened. If that's my father, then that has to be the missing link."

"But why wouldn't he talk about it?"

"I have no idea. Maybe it's cause he's ashamed of something. He once said that the name each Time Lord calls himself is a promise that one makes. He calls himself the Doctor because he wants to help people. Maybe this one never helped people and lived up to his name..."

Clara nodded softly, but then felt faint. She didn't know if it was the extreme adventure she had or the essence the Professor had given her. But she did know that she was gonna faint.

The Professor knew she was going to and caught her just in time and held her in his arms, staring at the Unknown Figure.

"What I did, I did without choice," the Figure said. "In the name of all that's Peace and Sanity." He turned around to face the Professor. "I want you to know that I did the best I could in such little time."

The Professor furrowed his brow in confusion. "I don't think I understand."

"Oh, but you will, my dear son," the Figure said.

The Professor gave a slight nod, not too sure what to do. He took a deep breath and poofed him and Clara out of the time stream.


End file.
